A B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bomber flies over an undisclosed area.  (Photo By: Air Force Senior Airman Luke Hill)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON  –  Nuclear deterrence will remain the Biden  Pentagon’s  highest priority mission, defense leaders said.

“Our nuclear forces remain essential to ensure that no adversary believes they can ever employ nuclear weapons for any reason, under any circumstances, against the United States or our allies and partners without risking devastating consequences,”

-Leonor Tomero, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee  Wednesday May 13. 

While the Defense Department is conducting a series of strategic reviews that will include U.S. nuclear policy and posture, the department still considers nuclear deterrence its highest priority mission.  

DOD  Plans to Begin Specific Reviews of Nuclear Posture and Policy Soon

PUGET SOUND, Wash. (Oct. 15, 2017) The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) transits the Hood Canal as it returns to its homeport following a strategic deterrent patrol. Louisiana is one of eight ballistic-missile submarines stationed at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor providing the most survivable leg of the strategic deterrence triad for the United States. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Michael Smith/Released)

The department plans to begin specific reviews of nuclear posture and policy soon, Tomero said, and those reviews will extend through the summer and fall.

“Our reviews will assess the U.S. nuclear modernization programs to ensure that they deliver on time and are aligned with policy,” Romero said. “Importantly, the reviews will include a renewed focus on strategic stability, including risk reduction and arms control.”   Romero added: “Right now, the Defense Department is engaged in a recapitalization of the “nuclear triad,” which involves new submarines, such as the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines; new intercontinental ballistic missiles as part of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program; and new bomber aircraft, such as the B-21 Raider.”

Two long-range Ground-based Interceptors launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., March 25, 2019, in the first-ever salvo engagement test of a threat-representative ICBM target. The two GBIs successfully intercepted a target launched from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll.

“Having a strong nuclear deterrence is one of our highest priorities,” Tomero said. “And, so, we will continue to maintain a strong and reliable nuclear deterrence, which has been the cornerstone of our national security.”